‘Remote Control’ by Nnedi Okorafor will be released on January 19, 2021. Photo: amazon
Nnedi Okorafor is an author of fantasy and science fiction for both adults and younger readers and an associate professor of creative writing and literature at the University of Buffalo. Her children’s book “Long Juju Man” won the 2007-08 Macmillan Writer’s Prize for Africa, and her adult novel “Who Fears Death” was a Tiptree Honor Book. She is the winner of Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, Locus and Lodestar Awards and her debut novel “Zahrah the Windseeker” won the prestigious Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature. In her new novel “Remote Control,” an alien artifact turns a young girl into Death’s adopted daughter; it will be released on Tuesday January 19, 2021. (amazon, 2021)
“Remote Control” is a thrilling sci-fi tale of community and female empowerment. The day Fatima forgot her name, Death paid a visit. From here on, in she would be known as Sankofa―a name that meant nothing to anyone but her, the only tie to her family and her past. Her touch is death, and with a glance a town can fall. And she walks alone, except for her fox companion, searching for the object that came from the sky and gave itself to her when the meteors fell and when she was yet unchanged; searching for answers. But is there a greater purpose for Sankofa now that Death is her constant companion?
Andy Weir’s ‘Project Hail Mary’ is one of Goodreads’ Most Anticipated Books of 2021. It will be released on May 4. Photo: amazon
The new year brings exciting new titles for readers of all genres. These are the highlights of Goodreads’ The Most Anticipated Books of 2021. The full list is available online.
Fiction: “The Paris Library” by Janet Skeslien Charles – release date: February 9 In Paris, 1939, young Odile Souchet is enjoying her dream job at the American Library in Paris. But when the Nazis roll in, things get real dark, real fast. Odile and her fellow librarians join the Resistance. Forty-some years later, a lonely teenager in Montana befriends her elderly neighbor, who has a story to tell
Mystery & Thriller:“Survive the Night” by Riley Sager – release date: July 6 The new thriller from pseudonymous superstar Riley Sager (Final Girls), “Survive the Night” is set in the early 1990s, back before smartphones could resolve plot points instantly. College student Charlie Jordan is sharing a ride back to Ohio with a guy who may or may not be a serial killer. Calling for help would require a pay phone. Running away would require a cruising speed less than 55 mph.
Fantasy and Science Fiction:“Project Hail Mary” by Andy Weir – release date: May 4 Andy Weir, author of “The Martian,” returns to space with the story of a last-ditch, fat-chance effort to save Earth from an extinction-level event. Astronaut Ryland Grace is on his own, millions of miles from home, having just awoken from a long cryogenic sleep. Using a patchwork spaceship, two corpses, and his very fuzzy memory, he is going to have to improvise.
Nonfiction: “The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race” by Walter Isaacson – release date: Mary 9 Biochemist Jennifer Doudna and her collaborators pioneered the world-changing genetic engineering technology known as CRISPR, which opens an entirely new universe of medical miracles and serious ethical questions. Biographer Walter Isaacson, author of previous tomes on Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein, and Steve Jobs, turns his gaze to the world of life science and 21st-century genetics.
Young Adult:“Rule of Wolves” by Leigh Bardugo – release date: March 30 From the celebrated author of Ninth House, winner of a 2019 Goodreads Choice Award, “Rule of Wolves” returns readers to the land of Fjerda, where a king, a general, and a spy must work together to forge a new future. Bonus trivia: Several of author Leigh Bardugo’s previous works have already been optioned for film and TV.
Romance:“Act Your Age, Eve Brown” by Talia Hibbert – release date: March 9 Fans of Talia Hibbert’s series The Brown Sisters will be happy to hear a new story is coming, this one dedicated to Eve—invariably described as the flightiest of the sisters. The good news: Eve has found a guy. The bad news: She just hit him with her car. The weird news: He is now her boss.
Amy Speaces’ new deeply personal album with The Orphan Brigade will be out April 30 but the first single is out this week. Photo: google
Looking back on a twelve-month span between her son’s first birthday and the loss of her father, award-winning singer and songwriter Amy Speace created eleven new songs directly from her depth of personal experiences, childhood memories, coming of age in New York City, and losing a parent while learning to become one, to create her new full-length album, There Used to Be Horses Here, which will be out Friday, April 30th on Proper Records/Wind Bone Records. While many of the subjects on the album are heavy, There Used to Be Horses Here is not a sad record. Instead, it is a direct reflection of a year in Speace’s life, propelled by a playwright’s eye for detail, a performer’s gift of vocal delivery, a poet’s talent for concise writing, and the extraordinary musicianship of collaborators, The Orphan Brigade. The result is a sum much greater than its parts; a calling card for fans and critics alike to ask themselves whether Speace still fits only into the folksinger box she has long been placed in, or perhaps, with this new album, she deserves to be seen in a new light. (IVPR, 2021)
This week, Rolling Stone premiered a music video for the album’s first single and title track, “There Used to Be Horses Here,” calling it “melancholy but gorgeous,” and noting that the video’s vivid imagery of a picturesque farm and its beautiful occupants serve “as a metaphor for all that we lose to both progress and the passing of time.” Speace laments, “During the last week of my father’s life, I drove [the road on the way to her parent’s house, past a farm she had grown to love] and the farm had been sold, gutted for condos, and the horses were gone. I wrote this song very quickly after he died, the loss of both the horses, my childhood, my parents’ house, and most acutely, my father all tied to the images in this song.” SiriusXM’s The Village also debuted the single with an exclusive interview, available here. Fans can hear “There Used to Be Horses Here” and pre-order or pre-save the album.
There Used to Be Horses Here Track listing: Down the Trail There Used to Be Horses Here Hallelujah Train Father’s Day Grief is a Lonely Land One Year Give Me Love River Rise Shotgun Hearts Mother is a Country Don’t Let Us Get Sick
Thurgood by George Stevens, Jr. opens at The Public Theater of San Antonio on Thursday, January 14, 2021. Photo: The Public Theater of San Antonio, used with permission.
Coming up at The Public Theater of San Antonio is Thurgood, which opens this Thursday, January 14 and runs until Sunday January 22. Performances will be virtual live stream only and ticket information is available online. (The Public Theater of San Antonio, 2021)
Thurgood by George Stevens, Jr. is a story rich in history, humanity, and humor and depicts the life of Thurgood Marshall, the first African American Supreme Court justice and his role in the historic decision on the Brown v. Board of Education case. He was an influential leader of the civil rights movement and his legacy lives on in the pursuit of racial justice. This performance may contain themes and content not suitable for all audiences.
Releasing via Mountain Fever Records, Justin Moses’ Fall Like Rain will be out Friday January 22, 2021. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
In the world of bluegrass music, Bluegrass Music Association Award-winner Justin Moses has risen to his now prestigious status as one of the finest multi-instrumentalists in acoustic music. On January 22, Moses’s pickin’ prowess and songwriting skills will be on full display with his release of Fall Like Rain, a new self-produced full-length album on Mountain Fever Records. Featuring Moses on vocals and a slew of stringed instruments—from flat-top six-string and Weissenborn guitar to mandolin and banjo—Fall Like Rain not only sheds light on his many talents, but on the skill and perseverance it takes to piece them all together to create the final product. Fans can pre-order a signed copy of the album and pre-save or pre-order the album digitally. (IVPR, 2021)
Moses began his musical journey at the age of six after becoming interested in the mandolin. He first started to improve his skills playing in his family’s band as a child and since then, he has toured with bands such as Blue Moon Rising, The Dan Tyminski Band, Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder, Blue Highway, and The Gibson Brothers. In his two-year stint with Tyminski, he realized an early dream of playing the Grand Ole Opry for the first time and recorded the 2009 IBMA Album of the Year and Grammy-nominated album, Wheels. In 2018 and 2020, Moses was the recipient of the IBMA’s Resophonic Guitar Player of the Year award.
Moses has performed on prominent national shows such as The Late Show, Conan, The Today Show, and Grand Ole Opry LIVE. He performed alongside Hall of Famer Ricky Skaggs on the CMA Awards in 2018 and appeared with an all-star cast of artists on the PBS special Country Music: Live at the Ryman in conjunction with Ken Burns’ Country Music documentary in 2019. That same year, the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum honored Justin by featuring him as a part of the American Currents exhibit.
Fall Like Rain Track listing:
Fall Like Rain (4:24)
Taxland (3:28)
Between The Lightning and The Thunder (feat. Dan Tyminski) (3:17)
‘The Retirement Mirage’ by Nancy Hite will be out February 16, 2021. Photo: amazon
Nancy Hite is a certified financial planner, trustee, and author. She is also founder of The Strategic Wealth Advisor ® LLC, located in Boca Raton, Florida. She offers financial advice and workable options to help her clients prepare for and enjoy the current and future chapters of their lives by focusing on their personal goals. In her upcoming book, “The Retirement Mirage: Time to Think Differently,” which will be released on February 16, 2021, she reveals what experts do not tell people about their financial planning. It is available for pre-order on Amazon. (Black Château, 2021)
“The Retirement Mirage: Time to Think Differently” combines Nancy’s years of financial experience with real-life examples to help readers assess their financial situation and give them the tools to plan for the realities of their financial future. Because people are living longer, technology is advancing quickly, and the world is changing due to climate change, COVID-19, and other factors, ideas about retirement savings are becoming antiquated. The book is an optimistic and practical look at the future and how people can prepare.
Driven by her fiduciary duty towards her clients and a desire to help others, Nancy Hite gives actionable advice in her book. She explores education and how children should have a strong financial foundation. She delves into unsteady markets and how they can impact investments. Plus, readers will discover why her mott: Spend it now, spend it later, or spend it never® makes sense today more than ever.
“So many people are still buying into the retirement mirage, the idea that once they stop working, they will have a perfect life. I’m here to show them that the world is changing, and they need to shatter those old ideas in order to adapt. There is so much hope and opportunity if we are willing to think differently, and that’s what people will find in my book.” – Nancy Hite
JL Bar Ranch is located deep in the Texas Hill Country. Photo: JL Bar Ranch, used with permission.
This year, as Americans continue to practice social distancing and seek destinations that are in remote, outdoor-driven locations, one of the U.S.’s hottest regions is the Texas Hill Country and its stunning, off-grid JL Bar Ranch, Resort & Spa. (JL Bar Ranch, Resort & Spa, 2021)
Set on 13,000 acres and a short drive from Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas/Fort Worth areas, and accessible via private airplane thanks to its on-property hangar (FBO), The JL Bar Ranch offers an off-grid yet luxurious experience for those seeking to reconnect with themselves and the Great Outdoors. With the following new amenities, offers, and activities for 2021, The JL Bar Ranch is a prime destination for a naturally distanced getaway in the heart of Texas.
Luxury Meets Texas Ranch: The 32-room boutique property acts as guests’ home away from home to relax, unplug and enjoy the tranquility of West Texas. With scenic views in every direction, JL Bar’s grounds offer rolling acres of oak trees and wild grasses to spot local wildlife. JL Bar’s cuisine is reflective of the current seasons with an emphasis on using locally sourced ingredients.
A True Texas Adventure: From a full equestrian program featuring horseback riding to off-road ATV adventures, a Putting/Chipping Green, weekend yoga, wine tasting, and clay and skeet shooting, The JL Bar Ranch’s slew of activities and programming take place primarily outside for the ultimate safe cation getaway. Guests are invited to embrace the Texas Hill Country lifestyle, even if it is just for a weekend stay.
Cowboy Cookout: The culinary team at JL Bar Ranch has designed a decadent and interactive social distancing-approved dining experience with its new Cowboy Cookout. Guests can take in the Texas Hill Country views with a horseback ride to the property’s cookout camp, enjoy cocktails and snacks as the culinary team prepares a lavish steak dinner, and relax to country music while taking in the magnificent sunset.
Wellness Weekend, Anyone? To balance its outdoorsy and adventure programming, JL Bar Ranch guests can unwind and practice self-care at the property’s full-service spa, which offers luxurious massages and spa treatments alongside a full nail/salon menu. Guests can reconnect with themselves and the natural world with one-of-a-kind immersive programming, ranging from a horse psychology experience to spa treatments that incorporate ancient healing traditions.
Set amidst 13,000 breathtaking acres deep in the heart of the majestic Texas Hill Country, JL Bar Ranch, Resort & Spa is one of the country’s premier working ranch experiences and the state’s only luxury ranch resort. Fulfilling the dream of owners James and Lois Archer, the 32-room resort is a study in rustic elegance, providing an intimate, customized Texas experience while connecting guests to nature through a variety of guest offerings and amenities such as equine experiences, hiking, swimming, biking, yoga, and a sporting clay complex. The resort features a spa, outstanding culinary offerings at The Restaurant at JL as well as Lonesome Creek Lodge for dinner series and private events; a Fixed Base Operator (FBO) private airport with a 5,300-foot runway, a general store and more than 35,000 square feet of unique indoor and outdoor meeting and event space, making it the perfect place to relax, unplug and experience the beauty and serenity of West Texas.
Community days at the Briscoe Western Art Museum include free admissions, programming and entertainment. Photo: Briscoe Western Art Museum, used with permission.
The Briscoe Western Art Museum traditionally hosts free community events throughout the year featuring complimentary museum access and activities. Due to the undeniable influence of Mexican and Spanish heritage across Texas and the Southwest, the Briscoe also highlights that influence on Western Art. Community days at the Briscoe include free museum admission, programming, and entertainment throughout the museum campus. (Briscoe Western Art Museum, 2021)
Fandango
May 1, 2021
Briscoe Fandango celebrates the influences of the Hispanic culture of South Texas with a day that includes music, art, food, and dance. Fandango highlights everything from the important role vaqueros played in cattle drives and ranching, to the heritage’s indelible influence on the region’s food, music, and culture.
National Day of the Cowboy
July 24, 2021
One of the Briscoe’s most treasured annual events, National Day of the Cowboy is celebrated on the fourth Saturday of July each year. Attracting Western fans of all ages for a day filled with fun, music, and art throughout the museum’s home on the River Walk, the day is filled with boots, hats and all things cowboy, cowgirl, and vaquero. The celebration typically includes western lessons like the art of the lasso, cowboy poetry, chuckwagon treats, and cowboy crooning filling the air of the museum’s McNutt Sculpture Garden.
Yanaguana Indian Arts Celebration
November 20 – 21, 2021
Highlighting the continued vibrancy and artistic traditions of Native American communities, Yanaguana Indian Arts Celebration offers a glimpse into traditional and contemporary Native American culture. Featuring Native American artists, musical performances and dancing, the event features storytelling, artist demonstrations of painting, printmaking, pottery, weaving and carving, as well as Native American-inspired food. Yanaguana Indian Arts Celebration also features workshops and lectures celebrating Native American culture. The event traditionally begins with a Native American blessing, followed by a ceremonial drum circle where everyone is invited to join.
See the West All Year Long at the Briscoe
An oasis of Western beauty just off the River Walk, the McNutt Sculpture Garden and the museum grounds feature 32 sculptures portraying various aspects of Western life. Inside the museum’s beautifully restored historic home inside the former San Antonio Public Library building, the Briscoe’s collection spans 14 galleries, with special exhibitions, events, and a fantastic museum shop, providing art, culture, history, and entertainment.
The Briscoe is open Thursday through Monday, 10a.m. – 5p.m. and closed to the public on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Admission is free for children 12 and under and for active-duty members of the military and up to four members of their families. The museum is proud to participate in Museums For All, Blue Star Museums and Bank of America Museums on Us. The Briscoe is located on the south end of the River Walk, near the Arneson River Theatre and La Villita, with convenient parking at the Riverbend Garage directly adjacent to the museum or one of many downtown surface lots. Museum hours, parking and admission details are available online. The museum is operating at reduced capacity with health and safety protocols that require both staff and guests to wear masks. Temperature checks are also conducted upon entry.
There is still time to experience Visual Voices: Contemporary Chickasaw Art at the Briscoe. The exhibit runs until Monday, January 18, 2021. Photo: Briscoe Western Art Museum, used with permission.
The Briscoe Western Art Museum is welcoming 2021 with a wide range of exhibitions and programs, celebrating the new year immersed in the art and beauty of the West. The term “Western Art” may suggest cowboys on the range, yet the genre is as expansive as the region itself, showcasing the rugged beauty of the area alongside the diverse people and wildlife who call it home. The following are the museum’s 2021 exhibitions. (Briscoe Western Art Museum, 2021)
VISUAL VOICES: Contemporary Chickasaw Art
Through January 18, 2021
The new year opens with the final weeks of a modern view of Native American art that showcases stories of the West far beyond boots and spurs. VISUAL VOICES: Contemporary Chickasaw Art includes 15 Chickasaw artists and more than 55 artworks, features the artworks of present-day Chickasaw painters, potters, sculptors, metalsmiths, and weavers. In San Antonio on the last stop of its national tour, the exhibition tells a beautiful and compelling contemporary visual story. From oil and watercolor paintings to textiles and metals, glass and bronze, the artworks are unique, intrinsically Southeastern in design and distinctive among contemporary tribal artists. Chickasaw artists featured in the exhibition include San Antonio native Brenda Kingery.
2021 Night of Artists
March 27, 2021 Celebration and Auction
March 28 – May 9, 2021 Public Exhibition and Sale
The Briscoe Western Art Museum’s 2021 Night of Artists Exhibition and Art Sale marks 20 years of celebrating Western Art with an opening event that includes both in-person and virtual celebrations. The Night of Artists includes the viewing and sale of nearly 300 new works of painting, sculpture, and mixed media by 80 of the country’s leading contemporary Western artists. When COVID forced the 2020 in-person event to be cancelled, the museum successfully hosted the Night of Artists sale online. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Night of Artists, the Briscoe will again welcome a virtual audience, as well as host the event in-person, ultimately allowing more art lovers to participate than ever before through the Briscoe’s first-ever hybrid Night of Artists event. The public exhibition and sale will also span in-person and online.
Still in the Saddle: A New History of the Hollywood Western
May 28 – September 6, 2021
Premiering this summer at the Briscoe Western Art Museum, Still in the Saddle: A New History of the Hollywood Western tells the dramatic story of the Hollywood Western from the late 1960s to the 1980s. Against a historical backdrop of social unrest, political turmoil, economic uncertainty, and generational change, competing cinematic visions of the Old West vied for Americans’ attention within the popular culture of the day. “True Grit,” “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” and “The Outlaw Josey Wales” are just a few of the classic Western films highlighted in this exciting new exhibition organized by the Briscoe. Featuring costumes, props, and dozens of vintage movie posters, Still in the Saddle immerses visitors in the history and artistry of the Western, Hollywood’s greatest genre.
Vaqueros de la Cruz del Diablo: Photography of the Contemporary Northern Mexican Cowboy
September 16, 2021 – January 17, 2022
Making its United States debut, Vaqueros de la Cruz Del Diablo features celebrated photographer Werner Segarra inviting audiences to peer into the world of the Northern Mexican Vaquero – not as a casual tourist, but as an intimate observer. With almost 40 images that span more than 20 years of the lives of the vaqueros, Segarra reflects a complex contemporary composition of the everyday life of the vaquero. Offering realistic moments of how they view themselves, surrounded by the tools of their trade, intertwined with the realities of their existence, the images detail a legacy that reaches back over generations and is the birthplace of the modern cowboy.
The Briscoe is open Thursday through Monday, 10a.m. – 5p.m. and closed to the public on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Admission is free for children 12 and under and for active-duty members of the military and up to four members of their families. The museum is proud to participate in Museums For All, Blue Star Museums and Bank of America Museums on Us. The Briscoe is located on the south end of the River Walk, near the Arneson River Theatre and La Villita, with convenient parking at the Riverbend Garage directly adjacent to the museum or one of many downtown surface lots. Museum hours, parking and admission details are available online. The museum is operating at reduced capacity with health and safety protocols that require both staff and guests to wear masks. Temperature checks are also conducted upon entry.
Pearl’s Bottling Department Food Hall now offers tableside delivery using QR codes at select outdoor tables. Photo: Pearl, used with permission.
Pearl continues its dedication to small businesses by announcing new initiatives to better serve customers and the community during the COVID-19 pandemic. Starting Wednesday, January 6, Pearl’s Bottling Department Food Hall will offer tableside delivery using QR codes for customers seated at select outdoor tables at Pearl Park. (Pearl, 2021)
With a quick scan of a QR code, visitors can access Bottling Department menus, order, and pay in one seamless transaction. Twenty-six tables in Pearl Park are equipped with this service; guests must scan the QR code located at the specific table at which they are sitting to use tableside delivery. This offering enables visitors in Pearl Park to avoid going indoors, skip lines, and order from multiple vendors in one transaction and to re-order additional food and drinks in a seamless transaction.
All Bottling Department vendors will be available for tableside delivery, including Bud’s Southern Rotisserie, Fletcher’s Hamburgers, Tenko Ramen, Mi Roti, Chilaquil, and The Bar.
Pearl, located north of downtown San Antonio, provides a unique experience as a top culinary and cultural destination. The mixed-use space features retail, dining, picturesque green spaces, paseos riverside amphitheater, and the third campus of The Culinary Institute of America. As a former brewery operating from 1883 to 2001, Pearl reflects a vivid past while embracing the future with environmentally sustainable buildings mixed with historic architecture.
“Pearl Park is a great place to spend time with your friends and family and we want the Bottling Department Food Hall to be a dynamic amenity for our guests and customers. With this new service, you can order from any Food Hall operator and the bar and have everything delivered directly to you at your table. No lines, no going inside. It will feel like restaurant style service in the park – we’re really excited about using new technology to enhance our park experience and support our amazing operators in the Food Hall.”- Elizabeth Fauerso, Pearl’s Chief Marketing Officer
SA Examiner 